“But I also realize that winning doesn't always mean getting first place; it means getting the best out of yourself.” ― Meb Keflezighi

Training week recap

Maybe those few days off last week were a blessing in disguise. I started out this week by returning from Dallas extremely late Monday night. I was already freaking out about how many days I had missed from running and there was a part of my brain that truly believed I had forgotten how to run. I kept worrying that come Sunday I wasn’t going to be able to run 16 miles because I had skipped my 15 miler the week before.

Alas, my legs still know how to work and I was able to complete a really solid week of running. For the first time ever, I hit over 40 miles in a week. This is likely the reason I have been eating everything in sight. Seriously, marathon training is no joke when it comes to the refrigerator.

Monday: Travel day = Rest Day

Tuesday: I attempted some speed work/progression run on Tuesday. I started out strong and wanted to finish around goal half marathon pace but I just wasn’t feeling it by the end. I blame the fact that I was alone, Lana wouldn’t have let me quit. She would have been pointing to her left side and telling me to get my ass next to her and push it out. My splits looked like this: 7:55, 7:57, 7:51, 7:45, 7:46, 7:51, 8:01 I slowed down on the last two miles that I really wanted to hit 7:30-7:35 pace at but I honestly just wasn’t motivated.

Wednesday: I did an easy recovery run of 5 miles

Thursday: I was able to get out on Thursday with Lana for another just easy 5 mile run. My legs were starting to loosen up now and I was feeling more confident going into my rest day.

Friday: Rest

Saturday: Fleet Feet Day!!! I headed out to the store and got in 9 lovely miles with Sandy. We kept the pace easy, averaging around a 9:20 pace. It was a gorgeous morning and it was a nice run around the neighborhoods of Summerville. It’s been great getting out there to explore different areas to run.

Sunday: The all-mighty long run Sunday. I’ve got my Sunday morning routine down to a science and it is working so well for me. I treat every Sunday morning like it’s marathon race day morning. I get up at 5 am to eat my breakfast of an english muffin with Jelly. I drink 12 ounces of water between waking up and leaving for my run. I take 1 salt tab and 1 Gu 15 minutes prior to leaving the house. Lana and I are out the door by 7am. We cranked out 16 freaking miles!! This is of course, my longest run to date and it didn’t feel like absolute death. I took a huma at mile 6 & mile 12. I also popped a salt tab at mile 8 and I carried a nuun active with me in my handheld water bottle. So far my fueling is working great because our last few miles were our fastest. We ended up averaging a 8:39 pace for the run.

Next week I’m hoping to bring my mileage up just a little bit more and the goal is to push out an even longer, long- run on Sunday. Hopefully this momentum keeps me going.

If you haven’t, you still have time to register for the James Island Connector Run! It’s this coming Saturday and registration online will close soon. Use the code Knopp16 at checkout to save $5. I hope to see all my running friends out there at this race!